The principle game of golf is well known, and its rules are codified in the USGA Rules of Golf. In part, they provide for playing a course of 18 holes, each hole beginning with a tee shot and ending when the ball goes into the cup. Each player may carry and use a maximum of 14 clubs chosen from a group comprising irons (typically 1–9 and one or more sand wedges), drivers (typically 1–5) and a putter. In match play, the person with the lowest number of strokes through the 18 hole course is the winner.
Variations in the format for playing golf, such as the Florida scramble and the skins game, are widely popular and have broadened the game's appeal, for both players and spectators.